Kasumor
Geography Kasumor itself is an ancient and mysterious place. Its lands, which was special even at the beginning of times, were made even stranger by its people by techniques long forgotten. Experimental plants and animals can be found all across Kasumor, but behave like normal animals for the most part. On the contrary, they are a normal part of the life cycles and ecosystems there, fulfilling roles just like any other ecosystem. Underground, although not as strange, houses some of the weirdest minerals and substances ever seen, just as Shintouite, also known as Impact-rock, which increases in strength and durability the more stresses are applied to it. This is the main reason why most of the Kasumorian fortresses are still standing today unbreached, their walls have become so solid over the years that they are virtually impenetrable. Kasumi Plains: '''These wide plains of grass are home to a very strange species of flower, which resembles a dandelion, but instead with white leaves and round instead of elongated seeds. The featherlike structure which it used to spread the seeds more resemble clouds than fibres. When these spores are in the air, when inhaled, they put the inhaler to sleep for exactly 48 hours after exposure. Nobody has found out why. However, it is evident that the inhaling process is needed for the seeds to germinate after they have been exhaled and enduced their sleep. The plains in its enterity, which comprise about a quarter of the south-west of the country, consist of rolling hills covered with grasses with here and there a group of adepted wildlife that became resistant to the seedlings of this plant, such as highlands or wild horses. Note that these groups only live around the edges of the terrain and because of the inability to produce sufficient effective seed-blockers, nobody knows what lies in the heart of the land. '''Shintouite Mountain Range and Mines: In the northern regions of the country, resembling a normal mountain range, the stone mined from here is far from ordinary. This particular stone hardens when more pressure is applied to it, provided the stone is strong enough to withstand the initial impact. The stone starts out soft (around chalk hardness), but by slowly ramping up the pressure exposure, it can become almost infinitely hard and durable. This also means that how older a structure is, the more solid it becomes and as such also more resistant to wear and tear, including winds and water damage. Most Kasumor “ruins” are still in pristine condition. The mountains themselves are weathered at the top, but still very steep and high when compared to mountain ranges of the same age, due to the strengthening effect. Verandil Forest: A weird place, this forest looks normal on the outside but is home to a large variety of wildlife not seen anywhere else. Nobody has made a good list of the species present, but they include huge size vermin, plant-animal hybrids and even human-plant hybrids. The forest is temperate and is located in the centre of the country. From here, they access to several species of huge vermin (which are more intelligent then their small kind due to the experiments of old), of which the huge mantis and huge stag-beetle have been the most wanted. The mantids are used as mounts, while the stag-beetles are more used as walking battering rams. Races of Kasumor The people of Kasumor mostly have a tall build, both the men and women. They mostly measure around 1 meter 90 in the case of men and 1.8 Pryonic metres in the case of women. They are not very tanned due to living near the mountains and tend to have big eyes in comparison to their more southern counterparts. This is one of the reasons the women are considered one of the more beautiful women in the world. Also, a strong influence of Fey blood courses through the entire race, coming from a race called the Cloudiz. This race consisted of humanlike fey, with a human torso, wings of a dragonfly and the tail of a fish, abeit a long and elegant tail. This bloodline is most prominent in the royal bloodline of the Earthguards, whose name is derived from the fact that these fey were seen as the guardians of the land. Also, this is most likely the cause of the almost supernatural beauty of the women in this country. Finally, most strangely, the supernatural aspects of their fey heritage manifest mostly (but not exclusively) in females, causing them to have gills, dragonfly wings, fishtales and in extreme cases all of the before mentioned, somehow producing a fullblooded Cloudiz. It is also said that these half or full-bloods, either male or female, have a great affinity for magic, but the scholars of Kasumor have yet to figure out how to harnass this potential. When born with Cloudiz charactaristics, they are greatly revered by the populace and often sit high in the hierarchy. Their Cloudiz blood is also the cause that the people of Kasumor live half as long again as normal humans. Their maximum age lies somewhere around 150, with 120-130 being the average. The Cloudiz are great swimmers and flyers, but can't move on land to well. When needed to move on land, for example for diplomatic reasons (Looking somebody in the eye while walking through the palace gardens is better then flying around at random), they do so in a snake/lamia like fashion, using s-shaped motions to move forward. Before the Cataclysm, they inhabited Verandil Forest in the numerous giant trees and streams found in the area. They were known for being mystics, able to predict the future and see far away events by peering into pools of water. However, after the Cataclysm, this knowledge has been lost, although scholars are on the verge of a breakthrough, or so they claim. Also, because of their kindness and peerless beauty, expecially of the female Cloudiz, alot of Kasumi men ventured into the forest to try and find the love of their life. Surprisingly, around half the time, the man in question walked out of the forest a couple of months later with his Cloudiz betrothed by his side. Because of the relatively high percentage of Cloudiz-human marriages in that age, Cloudiz-blood is quite prevalent in Kasumor. What is even weirder, once in a while, two parents who have Cloudiz blood in their bloodline give birth to a fullblood Cloudiz, with all the features and abilities of his/her fey ancestors. What process drives this is currently not known. The more Cloudiz blood present in the individual, the longer they live. Average maximum lifespans roughly correspond to the number of features present: *No Cloudiz features: 150 years *One feature: 200 years *Two features: 250 years *Three features: 300 years *It is know that full blooded Cloudiz lived on average for 400 to 450 years The Cloudiz race as a whole had been missing since a few generations ago (around 350 years), after stopping a huge magical Calamity in the Shintuite mountains. They stopped the rampant magic, but at the cost of the life of most of their kind. Furthermore, the residual magic settled down in the mountains, infusing with the rock there to form Shintouite, which is used all over Kasumor for its defensive properties. People and Lifestyles Because of their martial upbringing, most Kasumorians are also quite muscular. The women of Kasumor however, are revered and known far and wide for their beauty and grace, which can turn into deadly grace when confronted with an enemy (Kasumorian women are kind off a hard catch). Despite this reliance on the martial side of life, there are also a fair amount of scientist-priests arround. When a warrior grows old, they tend to take up the task of combining science with faith, creating all kind of fabulous and ingenious contraptions, mostly based around heat and fire. As denizens of a country that takes great pride in it's martial prowess, lore and diplomacy, the inhabitants of Kasumor are a rough, disciplined yet strangely cheerful people. They are led by the Shïnguard, a leader who serves as a king aswell as a marshal in battle. Beneath him are the three Arches, which serve as generals under the Marshal. These three generals are themed after the remaining three elements and have a corresponding flag. They excell at fortifying themselves in a place to wear out the enemy with the help of their Shintouite defensive machinery. If that is not an option, they are also very skilled with a weapon. When pressed for combat, they tend to dissuate the enemy into dueling, to minimize the bloodshed. Sometimes, they also fight mounted on huge praying mantids, slashing with their sword in perfect cadence with the claws of the mantids. This is not common, as having a praying mantis as a mount is a sign of great prowess in battle and is only awarded to the greatest fighters of the land. However, the royal guard consists of 444 men and a praying mantis for each, making them feared in battle. The population is concentrated in the capital, Earthome, where the Earthguard also reside. Earthome is located in the middle of the country, around 30 miles from where the Kasumi plains begin, which also makes it a magnet for any alchemists and weapon experts trying to weaponize the strange sleep inducing flower. Also, there are four large fortresses at the borders: Earthguard, Windguard, Fireguard and Waterguard. Earthguard and Fireguard are situated along the western border, while Windguard and Waterguard are situated along the southern border. They are all around 300 years old, making the Shintouite from which they are made very sturdy and virtually immune to conventional siege weaponry, but not yet totally unbreakable. However, due to a low population, only fortress Earthguard and Waterguard are manned in the present day. In the way of village structure, they all have a Shushan, which is a sort of elderly figure, wise and experienced, who leads the village and handles local infrastructure and military matters. This Shushan is chosen by the village people themselves and is then appointed for seven years. Religion Kasumori are a fairly religious people, who worshipped the Lord of Fire in the past as a god of Renewal and the keeper of the cycle of live. However, they also strived for martial prowess and technological advance and believed that faith and technology go hand in hand when combined directly. By some it is even believed that they can be used to strengthen each other. As such, in ancient times, the Kasumori thought that another set of gods had to be present to complete the circle and to hold the balance. In 341, a new religion was founded by Shïnguard Marius Earthguard, solving the problem of balance. This religion focuses on scientific progress together with a great respect for life and life energy. The deity the Kasumori worship is Ashmar. Major Settlements Earthhome (Population 20,000): '''As the traditional seat of the Shïnguard and the most central of all major settlements in the country, Earthhome is a blooming city for trade, militairy training and religious purposes, as well as being the place where the Shïnguard keeps him watch on the country to ensure the happiness and safety of his people. It is divided into an Inner City, which hold the Kyuden, which is the palace/keep in which the Shïnguard resides, and the Library of the Ancients, a library which even holds some documents written by the Cloudiz people when they were still prominent as a race. For the rest, it hosts a big tower with a platform on top, which is used to facilitate transport with the help of the giant insects Kasumor is known for. The houses here are organised nearly into a circle-ray pattern. On the outer side, there is the Outer City, which is a disorganised mess of streets. This is to throw off any enemy advance who wants to take the Outer city. Because of this, signs stand around in most areas showing the directions to most major commodoties in the city. These are removed as soon as the city is under attack. Most smithies are located in this area, as well as most stables and craftmen, making this the primary area for trade. The outside of each area is surrounded by a big wall of around 20 meters high, made out of blocks of solid rock (not shintouite). In recent years, most parts of the wall are reinforced or replaced by shintouite. '''Shintine (Population 4,000): A quiet mining town, north of Earthhome. Life here is quiet and peacefull, with the citizens of the town making a living of mining blocks of shïntouite of varying sizes. Once in a while, traders from Earthhome come to buy or trade the shintouite they mined for a reasonable price, while also bringing entertainment and luxury goods with them for the villagers. The people here are also excellent guides for passing the Shintouite mountains for anyone who isn't willing to take the long route to Keldagrim. Kasumin (Population 6,000): '''This village is the only centre of crop growing in whole of Kasumor. They primarily produce grains and cattle for themselves and the citizens of Earthhome, but do not have enough productivity to supply the entire country with it. Also, because Kasumin lies very close to the Kasumi Plains, they use the sleep inducing pollen in combination with blow-darts to ward off threats to their cattle. Once every half year, on the Day of Mystery in the Pyrith of Mystery, they organize the greatest one-day festival in the whole of Kasumor, known as the Sakaru Mitsura. Hundreds if not thousands of Kasumorians come to join the festivities and have a good old fashioned good time. Sometimes, even the Shïnguard joins in under a disguise to get rid of all the burdens of leading the nation for a while. Marius Earthguard, for example, tends to attend the festivities in disguise once per year and drinks, laughs and gets drunk like any other commoner would, much to the chagrin of his wife, Helena. '''Vrevral (Population 3,000): '''This ancient town was once the primary meetingground for the Kasumori and the Cloudiz. Being situated in the middle of Verandil Forest, it was easy for the Cloudiz to visit this town. Furthermore, this town is the origin of the taming methods Kasumori use to domesticate their giant vermin. The proportion of people with Cloudiz features is higher here than anywhere else, bar the royal family. The inhabitants of Vrevral make their livings either by vermin taming or by guiding people through the forests on expeditions for new species of vermin. Because of the high number of Cloudiz-blooded people, Vravral is also a popular destination for Kasumori men that are searching for the love of their life or are just looking for sexual pleasure (They are still demi-humans after all). '''Farreach Outpost (Population 6,000): '''A fortress town, Farreach Outpost (Also called just Farreach) is a remnant of a horrible civil war that raged through Kasumor around four centuries ago. Back then, Farreach was the refuge of the Shïnguard that ruled back then and was the holdfast and turningpoint he needed to replenish his forces and take control of the country once again, after the followers of the Simple God invaded Earthhome and the Shïnguard was forced to flee. Its fortress is composed of solid granite, with the town being formed around it after the civil war was resolved. In times of danger the whole town can take shelter in the fortress, although the food supplies in such a situation would not last very long. It is not as well defended as the Shintouite fortresses, nevertheless it is considered to be a very tough nut to crack and it would not be wise to underestimate this ancient fortress. Traditionally, Farreach is also under direct supervision of the Shogun, the second in command of the army after the Shïnguard. '''Earthguard, Waterguard, Fireguard and Windguard (Population 2,000-3,000 each): '''These fortresses along the Kasumor border are made of shintouite with a technology that was lost around 200 years ago, making them are between 200 and 300 years old, so they are relatively new. They were build after the Calamity to deter any country who were thinking Kasumor to be an easy target during the time Kasumor was still recuperating. The fortress themselves have been largely abandoned in past days, although they did not fall into ruin, a courtesy of the supernatural properties of shintouite. They consist of a thick outer wall with rough, sturdy buildings within, all build out of shintouite. In time of need, each of the four fortresses can hold up to 2,000 people soldiers, together with enough "stables" to house 1,000 pieces of vermin cavalary. These are housed inside big chambers under the fortresses themselves. In addition to shintouite walls and buildings, all underground chambers and all floors are made of shintouite, making them virtually impossible to undermine. They were recently repaired and are in full working order. '''The Hearthvale (Population 3,000): A village founded by the Heartwastian people after the distaster that struck the Hearthwaste. Consisting of vampires, werewolves and other fey, this village lays a good distance from civilisation, being located in the heart of the Shintouite mountain range. A beautiful and serene town, it is located in a quiet glade where wildlife is aplenty and wood is abundant. Recently, Kasumori traders, who are used to stranger creatures, made contact with the village and trade is picking up, slowely lessening the tension between them and the Hurosha Empire. Kasumori Calendar The Kasumori have their own calendar, in which every year is divided in two Cycles of the sun. Each cycle of the sun in turn consists of seven Pyriths. Each Pyrith consists in turn of 26 days, divided in two Shou of 13 days each. These also all have names. After the Day of Mystery in the Pyrith of Mystery in the Second cycle of the sun is an extra day to appease the Lord of Flame and to remember the sacrifice the Cloudiz made during the Calamity. Category:Regions Category:Capital Regions Category:Regions in the Hurosha Empire Category:Regions of Telluris Category:Capital Regions of Telluris